Fliers from a white nationalist group were plastered on a Maryland college campus for the second time in four months

Share

Shares

Copy Link

{copyShortcut} to copy
Link copied!

Updated: 4:09 PM CDT Mar 16, 2017

Hide TranscriptShow Transcript

WEBVTT A HATECRIME.THE GROUP BEHIND THE POSTERS ISKNOWN FOR BIAS AGAINST RACIALMINORITIES, MUSLIMS AND JEWS.THIS IS ONE OF FOUR FLIERS THATSHOWED UP ON THE UNIVERSITY OFMARYLAND CAMPUS MONDAY MORNING,THE MESSAGE STRAIGHT FROMAMERICAN VANGUARD, DESIGNATED AHATE GROUP BY THE SOUTHERNPOVERTY LAW CANTER.>> I HAVE HEARD A LOT ABOUT ITAND ITS SAD ACTUALLY ON SEEINGIT ON CAMPUS EVERYWHERE.>> PEOPLE DON'T LIKE THIS, SOYOU'RE FOCRED TO SPEAD YOU'RE-- ONLY SPREAD YOUR MESSAGE ONWALLS, ANONYMOUSLY.ADAM: THE TERPS CAMPUS ISETHNICALLY DIVERSE, WITH MORETHAN 40% OF STUDENTS IDENTIFYINGTHEMSELVES AS A RACIAL MINORITYAND MORE THAN 5,000 STUDENTSIDENTIFY AS JEWISH.IN A STATEMENT, JEWISH STUDENTGROUP MARYLAND HILLEL WRITES"WHILE FREEDOM OF SPEECH ANDEXPRESSION ARE CENTRAL AND VITALTO OUR CAMPUS COMMUNITY AND TOUS AS AMERICANS, EXPRESSION THATCROSSES OVER INTO HATE OR BIASSPEECH IS DEEPLY DISTURBING.WE WILL CONTINUE OUR CLOSERELATIONSHIPS WITH CULTURAL,ETHNIC, RELIGIOUS, AND POLITICALGROUPS ACROSS CAMPUS, ANDMODELING WHAT COOPERATION ANDPARTNERSHIP BETWEEN DIFFERENTCOMMUNITIES IN OUR COUNTRY CANLOOK LIKE."ACCORDING TO THE ANTI DEFAMATIONLEAGUE, MORE THAN 100 CAMPUSESHAVE BEEN HIT WITH WHITESUPREMACISTS FLIERS SINCE THESCHOOL YEAR BEGAN.THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLANDPRESIDENT WRITES, "THE WHITENATIONALIST POSTERS FOUND ONCOLLEGE CAMPUSES, INCLUDING OUROWN, CONTAIN DETESTABLE LANGUAGETHAT IS AN AFFRONT TO WHO ARE, AND WHAT WE STAND FOR, ASTHE STATE'S FLAGSHIP UNIVERSITY.AS A COMMUNITY, WE STAND FOREXCELLENCE, DIVERSITY, ANDINCLUSION.WE STAND AGAINST ALL FORMS OFIGNORANCE AND HATE."THIS POST DOCTORAL RESEARCHERAGREES.>> I BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD, ASA PEOPLE, BE A BETTER SOCIETY.ADAM: ON TWITTER, AMERICANVANGUARD BOASTED ABOUT THEFLYERS IN MARYLAND PROMISING, MORE ACVITY IN THE NORTHEAST. ADAM: MARYLAND SENATOR BENCARDIN APPLAUDED THEUNIVERSITY'S REACTION TO THEFLIERS, A DEMOCRATIC COLLEGE INTHE SENATE PLANS TO INTRODUCE ABILL THAT GIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT

White nationalist group targets Maryland college with fliers

Fliers from a white nationalist group were plastered on a Maryland college campus for the second time in four months

Maryland’s campus is ethnically diverse, with more than 40 percent of students identifying themselves as a racial minority and more than 5,000 students identifying themselves as Jewish.

“While freedom of speech and expression are central and vital to our campus community and to us as Americans, expression that crosses over into hate or bias speech is deeply disturbing,” the college’s Hillel chapter said in a statement. “We will continue our close relationships with cultural, ethnic, religious, and political groups across campus, and modeling what cooperation and partnership between different communities in our country can look like."

According to the Anti-Defamation League, more than 100 campuses have been hit with white supremacists fliers since the school year began.

"The white nationalist posters found on college campuses, including our own, contain detestable language that is an affront to who we are, and what we stand for, as the state's flagship university. As a community, we stand for excellence, diversity, and inclusion. We stand against all forms of ignorance and hate,” University of Maryland president Wallace D. Loh said.

Clayton Thomas, a post-doctoral researcher, agrees.

“I believe we as a people should be a better society,” Thomas said.

American Vanguard boasted on Twitter about the fliers in Maryland and promised more activity in the northeast.

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) applauded the university's reaction to the fliers. A democratic colleague in the senate plans to introduce a bill that give law enforcement an incentive to report hate crimes.